Selling my cb1100

[ohiorider_imp]

When I graduated from high school in 1960, the population of the US was approximately 179,000,000. In 2018, US population is 327,000,000.

When I got a driver's license in 1959, our family, consisting of mom, dad, two older brothers and me. We shared the family car. My buddies and I got around on bicycles most of the time. Only a few guys (motorheads) had their own cars in high school. Wow, have times changed!

So, yes, today there's many more motorized projectiles out there for us to dodge.

Sorry to read that you're selling your bike, but it's understandable.

Bob

 

[Nortoon_imp]

Canada's population is only 37 million and it is a large country. You would think that there would be lots of room and little traffic. But almost 90 percent of the population live in cities and towns within 100 miles of the US border.

Ogdensburg NY is only 45 minutes from my home. Penny will ask me about once a month to drive her there to shop for groceries. I don't mind as we can not buy Ballpark hot dogs in Canada.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Living in the "Golden Horseshoe" (Lake Ontario north and west shores) it is similar for folks there, in fact, the highest density of Canada population is here. Depending where one is on the ring, Syracuse, and Buffalo, NY is a trivial trip. The real issue is the border cross, which there are many and many lanes. However, the volume passing through - in particular in the Niagara region - is overwhelming. Stretch a little more southwest Ontario and one has easy access to Detroit, MI and by extension, Cleveland, OH. Again, the volume of traffic crossing the Detroit river is incredibly high.

The lower Great Lakes (Erie and Ontario) provide extended riding season in this region of Canada. The only better place I can think of is Vancouver Island on the west coast Canada and possibly Vancouver on the mainland. Otherwise, the Canadian winter season is pretty harsh for itchin' motorcycle riders.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

We are lucky in Ottawa. The border crossing at Prescott/Ogdensburg is seldom busy. The US border guards are friendly and quickly send us on our way after looking at our passports and hearing we are going shopping in Ogdensburg. As groceries are not taxed, the Canadian border guards often wave us through after looking at our passports and asking what we bought.

 

[flynrider]

Canada's population is only 37 million and it is a large country. You would think that there would be lots of room and little traffic. But almost 90 percent of the population live in cities and towns within 100 miles of the US border.

Ogdensburg NY is only 45 minutes from my home. Penny will ask me about once a month to drive her there to shop for groceries. I don't mind as we can not buy Ballpark hot dogs in Canada.

That would explain the extremely light traffic in the Yukon and NWT.

 

[Stichill]

I’m fortunate to be able to avoid congested areas, but increasingly a concern is oncoming vehicles drifting over the center lane divider. Even though the preferred lane position is toward the left (Americas/Continental) more and more I move right when approaching oncoming traffic ahead to give an extra margin of space cushion.

 

[the Ferret]

That's my main fear as well Stichill. I ride left track as well. Still don't move over though, but I watch them closely.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Fortunately in my region there are so many lanes (err, maybe unfortunately for Mother Nature) that I ride in the right track of the innermost lane. This provides the same margin of safety that Stichill expresses, but particularly at intersections. I want them to see my oncoming headlight at the earliest possible opportunity. If I had to guess in this crazy world, it freezes 49 out of 50 oncoming drivers itchin' to turn. When my "Spidey senses are tingling", on goes the high beam while approaching the intersection until we have eye contact.

Of course, in places like Brampton, Ontario they will do the turn anyway. I mean, they run red lights, so what is another un-afforded left turn?

- - -

Forum Folks:

If you ever ride to Ontario, don't ride in Brampton.

There is nothing to see.

Be safe.

You have been warned.

 

[the Ferret]

On coming cars can see you better in the left track than in the right track, particularly if you are behind another vehicle. If someone is waiting to pullout on the right, and there is a vehicle in front of me, I move over to the right track so they can see me. If there is no vehicle in front of me in any case someone turning left or pulling out I do the weave to get their attention.

 

[Guth_imp]

I'll tip my cap to LouA. It's better that you've managed to survive the road, sticking around to make the call when it's time for you to stop riding rather than having the road make the call for you.

In the eighties people referred to Ottawa as a town. The Queensway (an east/west expressway) actually moved traffic at highway speeds. Now during rush hours it can be a parking lot.

During the summers in those years Penny and I would ride our Goldwing to and from work. It was a pleasant ride home on the Ottawa River Parkway.

Now it's another parking lot during the evening rush hours.

Back the 80's upon graduating from college I went to work for an outfit named Bell Northern Research (the R&D branch of Northern Telecom or later, Nortel). Their headquarters was in Ottawa and they flew me up there for a week to attend an overview program. That took place in February if I remember correctly. The canals were frozen over and there was a winter carnival going on complete with a bunch of ice sculptures. Not much happening in the way of riding during that time of the year, lol. For as cold as it was, I had a good time.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

My older brother worked for BNR for decades. He was 50 something when they gave him two choices: except a golden handshake and early retirement or get fired. I felt sorry for him as computer companies don't high people of that age. He ended up working as a pack boy in a local grocery store.

A while after that a joke e-mail went around my office. If you had 25 dollars should you invest it in BNR stock or buy a case of beer. The answer was buy the beer because the return on the empties will be worth more than the stock. At that time it did not make sense. But it wasn't long before BNR folded their tent.

The people that were still working there got nothing, although they may have worked there for decades. So my brother was somewhat lucky because at least he got a pension from them, although he had to wait until he was 65 to collect it.

 

[Houtman_imp]

When our son was at Cornell in the nineties they did a similar study Budweiser Beer versus having invested in Enron . they had on paper invested $ 25.000 and after 4 years (and drinking all the beer ! ) they came ahead in selling the empty aluminum cans versus the selling the worthless Enron stock. My motto is : be an investor and not a speculator and you will do VERY well in the long run.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

My oldest brother won a scholarship and became a corporate lawyer. Bright guy but played the stock market. He and his wife now live in the basement of their daughter's home.

I am the third born of a family of 9 children. My dad could not afford to send me to university, but I did manage to attend a technical collage for a year with money I earned working in a bowling alley.

I worked in a paper mill after that. Because of my electrical courses I ended up with a very well paying job as an electrical power house operator. So I stayed for 3 years to save the money for the rest of my tuition and books.

Unfortunately after working and being use to having spending money, drinking beer, chasing women, and riding motorcycles (The road to he** one of my riding buddies Chumley used to say.) I could not focus on my studies. Luckily the collage had a long waiting list for students, so I was able to get my tuition and books money back.

The only thing I could find was a Clerk 1 job in the Federal Government. It payed less in 2 weeks than I earned in a week at the paper mill. But I did not want a shift work job in a noisy and dangerous work place. Fortunately over the years I worked my way up the pay scale in the government and have retired with a good pension. My wife was also a Civil Servant and has a good pension and a free medical plan that covers us both for life.

You never know was route your life is going to take. I use to envy my older brothers with their university educations and well paying jobs. But now I am sure they feel that I am the lucky one. I have nice home, beautiful wife, money in the bank, and I still get to ride motorcycles!

 

[the Ferret]

My oldest brother won a scholarship and became a corporate lawyer. Bright guy but played the stock market. He and his wife now live in the basement of their daughter's home.

I am the third born of a family of 9 children. My dad could not afford to send me to university, but I did manage to attend a technical collage for a year with money I earned working in a bowling alley.

I worked in a paper mill after that. Because of my electrical courses I ended up with a very well paying job as an electrical power house operator. So I stayed for 3 years to save the money for the rest of my tuition and books.

Unfortunately after working and being use to having spending money, drinking beer, chasing women, and riding motorcycles (The road to he** one of my riding buddies Chumley used to say.) I could not focus on my studies. Luckily the collage had a long waiting list for students, so I was able to get my tuition and books money back.

The only thing I could find was a Clerk 1 job in the Federal Government. It payed less in 2 weeks than I earned in a week at the paper mill. But I did not want a shift work job in a noisy and dangerous work place. Fortunately over the years I worked my way up the pay scale in the government and have retired with a good pension. My wife was also a Civil Servant and has a good pension and a free medical plan that covers us both for life.

You never know was route your life is going to take. I use to envy my older brothers with their university educations and well paying jobs. But now I am sure they feel that I am the lucky one. I have nice home, beautiful wife, money in the bank, and I still get to ride motorcycles!

An envious life indeed. :worship:

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

My oldest brother won a scholarship and became a corporate lawyer. Bright guy but played the stock market. He and his wife now live in the basement of their daughter's home.

I am the third born of a family of 9 children. My dad could not afford to send me to university, but I did manage to attend a technical collage for a year with money I earned working in a bowling alley.

I worked in a paper mill after that. Because of my electrical courses I ended up with a very well paying job as an electrical power house operator. So I stayed for 3 years to save the money for the rest of my tuition and books.

Unfortunately after working and being use to having spending money, drinking beer, chasing women, and riding motorcycles (The road to he** one of my riding buddies Chumley used to say.) I could not focus on my studies. Luckily the collage had a long waiting list for students, so I was able to get my tuition and books money back.

The only thing I could find was a Clerk 1 job in the Federal Government. It payed less in 2 weeks than I earned in a week at the paper mill. But I did not want a shift work job in a noisy and dangerous work place. Fortunately over the years I worked my way up the pay scale in the government and have retired with a good pension. My wife was also a Civil Servant and has a good pension and a free medical plan that covers us both for life.

You never know was route your life is going to take. I use to envy my older brothers with their university educations and well paying jobs. But now I am sure they feel that I am the lucky one. I have nice home, beautiful wife, money in the bank, and I still get to ride motorcycles!

That is one dedicated wife.

 

[the Ferret]

That would indeed be discouraging after a lifetime of effort. At least they had someone to fall back on.

 

[rboe]

You make your choices and take your chances.

Funny how things can turn out.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

You make your choices and take your chances.

Funny how things can turn out.

Many times folks in-the-moment don't consider concerns from people who care about them. Often it is after-the-fact that it would have been maybe a productive exercise. We are all guilty at one time or many of knowing it all.

 

[ahm12_imp]

My oldest brother won a scholarship and became a corporate lawyer. Bright guy but played the stock market. He and his wife now live in the basement of their daughter's home.

I am the third born of a family of 9 children. My dad could not afford to send me to university, but I did manage to attend a technical collage for a year with money I earned working in a bowling alley.

I worked in a paper mill after that. Because of my electrical courses I ended up with a very well paying job as an electrical power house operator. So I stayed for 3 years to save the money for the rest of my tuition and books.

Unfortunately after working and being use to having spending money, drinking beer, chasing women, and riding motorcycles (The road to he** one of my riding buddies Chumley used to say.) I could not focus on my studies. Luckily the collage had a long waiting list for students, so I was able to get my tuition and books money back.

The only thing I could find was a Clerk 1 job in the Federal Government. It payed less in 2 weeks than I earned in a week at the paper mill. But I did not want a shift work job in a noisy and dangerous work place. Fortunately over the years I worked my way up the pay scale in the government and have retired with a good pension. My wife was also a Civil Servant and has a good pension and a free medical plan that covers us both for life.

You never know was route your life is going to take. I use to envy my older brothers with their university educations and well paying jobs. But now I am sure they feel that I am the lucky one. I have nice home, beautiful wife, money in the bank, and I still get to ride motorcycles!

i am 32 and thought of retirement financials scare me .

 

[the Ferret]

Work every day, save some of every paycheck, and don't spend yourself foolishly into an abyss is my best advice.Oh yea, don't get a divorce.